Lawrence + Memorial Hospital recognized with Beacon Award for Excellence

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has recognized the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the Critical Care Unit (CCU) at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital with a silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence.

Established in 2003, AACN’s Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes top hospital units that meet standards of excellence in recruitment and retention; education, training and mentoring; research and evidence-based practice; patient outcomes; leadership and organizational ethics; and creation of a healthy work environment. Units that achieve this three-year award meet national criteria consistent with the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the National Quality Healthcare Award. Silver-level recipients demonstrate continual learning and effective systems to achieve optimal patient care. 

“The recognition is a result of the consistent approach to evidence-based care implemented by our nursing team,” said Shannon Christian, chief nursing officer. “Our nurses are highly skilled and compassionate professionals who go above and beyond to deliver exceptional care to our patients. They strive to create a healing environment for all our patients.

“This recognition validates the caliber of nursing that is provided on our intensive care and critical care units,” she added. “These units should be really proud of their achievement and know that the nurses on these units make a difference.”

“This achievement recognizes the exemplary efforts of our ICU and CCU nursing staff to provide excellent, safe, patient-centered care to patients and their families,” said Richard Lisitano, president. “Those that receive care here at Lawence + Memorial Hospital can expect to experience the highest level of nursing care from a group of exceptional healthcare professionals.”

At Yale New Haven Health, both campuses of Bridgeport Hospital,  and Yale New Haven Hospital have earned Beacon Award recognition on various inpatient units.

Lawrence + Memorial Hospital is a private not-for-profit, general, acute care hospital that has been serving patients since 1912. L+M is licensed for 280 beds, employs more than 2,000 people and serves 10 shoreline towns between Rhode Island and the Connecticut River, as well as the residents of Fishers Island, NY, in its primary service area. Now part of Yale New Haven Health, L+M is the only hospital in eastern Connecticut with a newborn intensive care unit. It is also the only area hospital able to perform emergency and elective angioplasty. 

About the Beacon Award for Excellence: Established in 2003, the Beacon Award for Excellence offers a road map to help guide exceptional care through improved outcomes and greater overall patient satisfaction. U.S. and Canadian units where patients receive their principal nursing care after hospital admission qualify for this excellence award. Units that receive the Beacon Award for Excellence meet criteria in six categories: leadership structures and systems; appropriate staffing and staff engagement; effective communication, knowledge management, and learning and development; evidence-based practice and processes; and outcome measurement. To learn more, visit www.aacn.org/beacon or call (800) 899-2226.

About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: Founded in 1969 and based in Aliso Viejo, California, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world. AACN represents the interests of more than half a million acute and critical care nurses and includes more than 200 chapters in the United States. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. To learn more about AACN, visit www.aacn.org, connect with the organization on Facebook at www.facebook.com/aacnface or follow AACN on Twitter at www.twitter.com/aacnme.